Reunion
by kitfreaks
Summary: Set 5 years after the events of cowboy bebop. Both Vicious and Spike have survived, what will happen when they stumble across each other. PENDING REWRITE.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer- I don't own any of the characters from cowboy bebop, but wouldn't it be fun if I did.

XXX means some time has passed

It all started with star fruit. The waxy green fruit that tasted kind of like a cross between a grape and an apple. The first bite left you frozen with indecision on whether to spit it out or not. Until you noticed in had all the lovely addictiveness of red eye. The star fruit season was the _ONLY_ reason why Vicious had returned to Mars. He had fallen in love with them in his childhood, and ever since, the highlight of his year was the only two weeks in the spring when the fruit could be bought fresh.

It had once been a fruit that grew in subtropical regions of earth, but in this day and age it was only grown on Mars. Every year he pursued the fruit with a passion unmatched in any other aspect of his life.

He had contentedly bought all of the star fruit he could carry (which was quite a lot) and was returning to where he had left his ship when he ran into the hit team.

Time froze as Vicious felt the dread of recognition. His bid to take over the Red Dragon Syndicate 5 years ago had ended in failure thanks to Spike, who he assumed was dead. He had been rescued from death by an outlaw, the bounty hunter's less law-abiding counterparts. His failed attempt had left his rather distinct mug shot imprinted into the minds of every noteworthy crime organization on Mars. Rumor of his amazing escape had left them all with high priority orders to kill him.

Stumbling onto a hit team with both his arms occupied did not bode well for the rest of the day. They obviously recognized him; there was no reason to play dumb. He dropped his bags of fruit and drew his Katana in one smooth motion. He spared just a fraction of a second to lament the loss of his fruit before cutting the man closest to him in half. Then he ran.

XXXX

He stopped by a wall to catch his breath. Damn, didn't those guys ever give up? Night had fallen in the two hours since he had first run into the hit team, during which they hadpursued him doggedly. A detailed memory of the slums he had grown up in enabled him to give them the slip several times, but they weren't giving up. The area he was in looked to have been partially rebuilt, but he was confident it wouldn't have changed enough to throw in him in five years when the place had been stagnant for almost 50.

The sound of men coming toward him drove him from his resting place, and around the corner to the mouth of the alley. Unfortunately what should have been a rats net of bolt holes and turns had been bulldozed into a parking lot. eight guys already waiting in it and what sounded like four coming up behind him. The bastards had set a trap.

please review, it only takes a second and I will love you forever

this chapter has been edited since it's original posting


	2. Chapter 2

Standard disclaimer applies

Luckily for him five years had done nothing to slow his reflexes and he was already diving for cover before they had fully registered that he was there. He felt a bullet hit his thigh, but he was already behind one of the several parked cars and had drawn his gun before anyone else had gotten off a shot…

XXXXXX

His bullet shield had served him well for the last seven minutes, but lots of men with lots of guns can really beat the crap out of your average car in 7 minutes, and his shield wasn't going to hold up much longer.

A scant 50 feet away was the next alley, promising sweet freedom, or at the very least better cover. Then again, 50 feet is a long way to run in a hail of gunfire with a fresh bullet hole in your left thigh. So he did the only thing he could, sit and hope for a distraction.

Unusually enough he got one. A pair of stingrays, their hull art marking them as belonging to the outlaw ship Seklin, blazed into the parking lot and started shooting at his would be assassins.

Vicious didn't hesitate, the Seklin's crew owed him a favor, which was why they were here, but having given him the opportunity to try and get away they would consider their debt paid in full. In a few moments he would once again be on his own.

He forced himself into a run, pain shooting through his leg at every step. He had just made it to the alley when the stingrays left as suddenly as they had come, but it didn't matter, he was now home free.

The city's alleys were full of twists, turns and split paths - a map of them resembled nothing so much as a child's scribbling - but he had grown up on these streets, and he knew every inch of them. One step from vanishing into gloomy safety he felt fire blossom in his right shoulder, as one of the men recovered enough composure to remember to shoot.

He staggered but kept going, using the alley wall to take some of the weight off his injured leg and help maintain his balance.

xxxxxxxxx

It had been about 45 minutes since he had escaped to the alleys. He only realized he had fallen to his knees because of the pain that lanced through his thigh at the shock of impact. His vision swam and he was dizzy from loss of blood. The combination of running and his still sluggishly bleeding wounds left his breathing ragged, and his body exhausted, so he stayed down and focused on trying to regain control of his breathing.

A gasp made him look up. In front of him stood a tall figure. His blurry vision couldn't make out any other details than that. Just to be on the safe side he went for his sword and attempted to rise. Whoever the guy was, he was fast. Too fast for Vicious' slowed reflexes to match. Before he had finished drawing his sword the stranger covered the short distance between them and swung his gun to connect with the side of Vicious' head.

He dropped to the ground, his partially drawn sword clattering on the pavement beside him as he sank reluctantly into blackness.

All this just for some starfruit.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer- Cowboy Bebop and it's characters aren't mine. i wish they were though

Now on with the chapter...

Deep in the depths of space a sleek black ship drifted as though dead. Shielded from detection, not a soul stirred on board. With the exception of the barest life support the entire ship slept, alone in the blackness. On a console deep within the black ship a single red light began to blink. Icy golden eyes slid lazily open and a smirk appeared upon the face of the ship's master as he floated weightlessly through space. 

"Always getting into trouble"

Without another word he glided to the console. His fingers danced over it, bringing the ship to life. As gravity was restored he slid into his chair, and powered up the black ship's engines. He and his baby had places to be.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Vicious slowly regained awareness. One of the first things to demand his attention was the pulsing throb in his head, closely followed by similar complaints in his right shoulder and left leg. He blearily opened his eyes and struggled to focus his thoughts and his vision. He was in a dark room, laying on something soft. His trenchcoat was gone as was his Katana. Someone was leaning over him, but he couldn't make out who it was. He attempted to sit up, but his limbs wouldn't respond. He felt a slight sting in his arm and blackness overtook him once again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The black ship was nearing its destination. A quick scan of the area showed twelve other outlaw ships that were close enough to be of use. However he disregarded most of them and focused his attention on the Seklin. Not only were they orbiting the planet he was heading to but they owed his errant crewmember a favor. Quickly he sent them to redeem their debt and began hailing the other outlaws in the area. There was work to be done.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Spike stared at the unconscious figure on the couch. His brain had been on autopilot since he had found Vicious in that alley. He had been covered in blood, much of it his own oddly enough, and clearly exhausted. Even though Vicious had gone immediately for his sword, it didn't seem like he had recognized Spike. After he knocked him out he had dragged Vicious's bleeding carcass back to the Bebop and patched up his wounds. For the life of him he couldn't say what had possessed him to do so.

Part of it was curiosity, over where he had hidden himself for the last five years, and how he had ended up in that alley. Questions Vicious needed to be alive to answer. But more than that the thought of shooting Vicious or even just leaving him there had seemed indefinably wrong.

So now the man that five years before he had been obsessed with killing was laying drugged and bandaged on his couch.

Jet and Faye were gonna be pissed.

my dear beta is out of town for a couple of weeks so please forgive any grammar mistakes. I was going to wait till he got back to post this but I figured I have kept all of you waiting long enough

thanks to all of you that reviewed

If you want another chapter the best way to get it is to leave a review(hint hint)


	4. Chapter 4

Oh they were pissed alright. At least Faye was, Jet seemed conflicted and was obviously holding back several comments till after Spike had explained himself.

Jet seemed to understand after hearing his admittedly unsatisfactory tale. Faye however was still miffed and stalked off to another part of the ship muttering something about stupid men. Spike didn't care at that moment. Right then he was focused on figuring out what Vicious had done with himself all this time.

Suddenly Jet was all business. "If we're going to do this lets do it right. Wake up Edward and have her see if she can track down where Vicious has been all these years. Mean while we will hit up my contact at ISSP and see if they have any leads on him"

XXXXXXX

It took Ed less than twenty minutes to find what they were after. She hacked into the ISSP database, and found they had a dossier on Vicious. According to the file Vicious had just shown up on Mars one day about two years after his fight with Spike. He had not been alone. He and his three companions had been caught on a security camera at the restaurant they had visited for lunch. The first was a tall man with rather unruly black and hair and a curious liquid grace to his movements. The camera never clearly showed his face. The next of his companions was average height with neatly cut, blond hair. He looked to be about 17 and had a round honest face that continually smiled. Which was really odd for someone hanging out with Vicious. The last was fairly tall woman with black hair in a ponytail that reached to her waist.

Vicious was the real surprise though, even more than the smiley kid. His hair was still long but it was tucked behind his ear revealing his face, and he was wearing an honest to god smile, eating and laughing with the other three. The footage didn't have sound so it was anyone's guess what they were talking about.

As they were talking the blond kid reached into the backpack he had with him and pulled out a laptop. He typed for a moment then held his hand out to the camera. The smile never leaving his face, he began counting down with his fingers. Five…four…

After the kid held up his hand the black haired man threw some bills onto the table pulled out a gun and shot the two people at the table next to theirs all in one smooth motion. Three…

as he was doing that Vicious and the woman both stood and produced katanas from beneath their coats.

What happened next was probably action packed but just then the kid reached zero and the footage ended.

Aside from the footage of the restaurant all they learned was that Vicious infrequently turned up in random locations. The ISSP had no clue where he spent the rest of his time. And in the three years since he appeared there had been only four confirmed sightings of him.

XXXXX

Finally, he had it. After hours of sifting through data he had located the ship with the correct signal. Of the hundreds of ships constantly coming and going on the planet, he had found the one carrying the signal of the tracking device he had planted on his crewmember. They had a head start, but it wouldn't last.

The black ship once again roared into life. This time in pursuit of a ship. It wouldn't get far.

XXXXXXX

Having gotten bored with her sulk Faye wandered into the living room, to check up on the source of all the days problems: Vicious. From the first moment she met him he had frightened her. She had encountered plenty of men who were much more violent than him, as well a serial killers and crazy men bent on destroying whatever world they happened to be on. Vicious was not crazy, dangerous but not crazy. The swordsman was aptly named but his viciousness was caged by a calculating mind, determination and relentless ambition. However none of those things could match the iciness that radiated from him.

A part of her hated him for the hold he still had on Spike even after all this time. Even as he slept on their couch a part of her itched to put a bullet between his eyes. But her lover would never forgive her if she did so she turned to leave. She hadn't gotten far before her arm was twisted up behind her, she managed a brief squeal before his forearm pressed into her throat.

Vicious was awake.

sorry this update took so long everybody.

I would have updated but i was in japan. also my beta hasn't seen this yet so please excuse any mistakes

i tried to make the chapters longer but i am rather bad at long chapters


	5. Chapter 5

It had been the explosions that first attracted his attention. He followed his curiosity to find two beasts, intent on destroying each other. It was from his vantage on the section of roof that was still standing that he saw the swordsman fall. Their battle had been magnificent, and the gunman's shot had been a little too high. Silently he moved to the swordsman. The gunman didn't notice him, preoccupied with his thoughts and a gruesome stomach wound. A quick check confirmed his guess; the swordsman was beaten and unconscious, but he wasn't dead. As the gunman limped down the steps he dragged the swordsman away and left a gift where he had lain.

Spike limped down the steps raised and raised his arm to the on looking crowd. "Bang." About two seconds after he had collapsed, an explosion ripped through the already devastated room. No one noticed the small ship dive from the roof and speed off into the morning

Less than an hour later and quite a ways away; a golden-eyed figure was regarding his prize, as he tended the gunman's numerous injuries. The swordsman stirred, Steel grey eyes met gold for a moment, before the swordsman fell back into unconsciousness. The golden-eyed man smiled, and returned to the task at hand.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Vicious slowly returned to awareness. He managed a cursory glance at the room he was in before he heard someone enter. He closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. He heard someone, probably female from the sound of their footsteps, walk up to the couch he was laying on. She paused for a moment, then began to walk away. Vicious seized his chance. He leapt to his feet twisted her arm up behind her, and wrapped his other arm around his neck.

Simultaneous bursts of pain from his leg and shoulder informed him that he should not have done so. His left leg hurt, but that didn't explain why both legs would barely support his weight. Switching tactics he grabbed her gun from its holster on her back and pushed her away, as his legs buckled and he collapsed back onto the couch. Footsteps echoed through the ship as her companions ran to join them. His katana was also conspicuously absent.

A gun. He hated guns. Everything about them, the noise, the smell, the jerk of the recoil. His entire career in the syndicate he had flat out refused to carry one. It had led to a humongous fight when his captain insisted he start carrying one three years ago. In the end Vicious had lost. In all the time he'd had the horrible thing, not counting today, he had fired two shots. One had desecrated a perfectly innocent tree, and the other had ruined a small child's tricycle after ricocheting off an ice cream stand. He made up for it by buying the child a popsicle. And now all he had to defend himself from who knows what was one of those little metal abominations.

He kept the gun trained on the woman, and flicked his eyes over to her companions, who had just arrived. He froze when his gaze landed on Spike, the last person he had ever expected to see again.

"I heard you got blown the hell up."

"I heard the same about you."

"It's just that Aero isn't generally mistaken when he says he kills people. You might call it his specialty."


	6. Chapter 6

"It's just that Aero isn't generally mistaken when he says he kills people. You might call it his specialty."

"Who is Aero?"

"Captain of the ship I've been living on."

In the hallway Ed gave a delighted laugh that was ignored.

The tableau hung as though suspended in time. Vicious pointing a gun at Faye, Spike and Jet pointing guns at Vicious, and Faye still on the floor where Vicious had pushed her.

Spike knew Jet and Faye were waiting for either him or Vicious to make the first move. He waited to see what Vicious would do. After their long partnership, he was well aware of Vicious' stance on guns, and the fact that he had gone for Faye's was a clear indicator that he couldn't handle hand to hand fighting at the moment. He also knew Vicious knew that he knew that. He could also see the gun in Vicious' hand trembling slightly. He couldn't keep the smirk off his face when Vicious spoke again.

"You drugged me."

"Yep."

"What with?"

"Does it matter?" Vicious glared at him but Spike ignored it and continued, "Tell you what, you put down the gun, and none of us will shoot you." Vicious answered with an incredulous look. "Come on, if I was going to kill you I would have done it in that alley. Instead of going through the trouble of dragging your ugly carcass back here and patching up your shoulder."

Vicious carefully considered his situation. He believed Spike when he said he didn't plan to kill him. Had their roles been reversed he probably would have acted in much the same way that Spike had. Despite the nature of their last encounter, he was finding that five years of believing Spike to be dead had completely absolved his anger. The woman their conflict had centered around was long dead, and but for the Aero's intervention, Spike would have killed him in their last battle. He had been beaten and had accepted the fact. Plus, Spike didn't have the patience for torture, since he hadn't killed him already he probably wasn't planning to.

Vicious lowered his stolen gun.

"Great, are you hungry"

Vicious answered with a nod, then continued, "Do you realize that we single handedly destroyed a syndicate" "I checked and the Red Dragons don't exist anymore. I killed the Van and you blew up the building." "Apparently that was more than they could bounce back from."

XXXXXXX

The Black ship was gaining on it's prey. It wouldn't be long before they overtook the ship that that held their missing crewman. Aero smiled, and ran his graceful hand lovingly over the console, nothing could outrun his Starshadow.


	7. Chapter 7

Edward was Happy. Her previous efforts to find info in Vicious' companions from the surveillance video had been fruitless; but weather he had meant to or not, Vicious had given her a name to work with. And she had found him. She giggled again, unable to contain her glee.

Aero the Blade's profile was military and highly classified. The list of crimes on his record was long, but there was only one the government really cared about. It took a few minutes to track down the details. Aero had stolen a ship, two ships actually; two top of the line, experimental prototypes. He had been the pilot assigned to their research and development. Then one day he suddenly killed all of his coworkers, destroyed the data he had helped to collect, stole the ships and disappeared into the night sky. One of the two was about halfway complete, the other was finished the day before he stole it. The military had eventually recovered the finished one, what was left of it anyway. It had been completely gutted, little remained but the hull, and since all the data for the top-secret project was destroyed, it wasn't known exactly what the remaining ship was capable of.

Spike came up behind her as she was perusing the rest of Aero's profile. "What have you got there, Ed"?

"I found him"

"Who"

"Vicious's friend"

"Really, lets's see…Whoa!

There were many words to describe the mystery captain, the one that occurred to Spike was: distinct. He had caramel skin, unruly hair and an oddly delicate looking bone structure, but what grabbed your attention was the eyes, sharp and golden, they almost glowed. It was really creepy.

XXXXXX

Right at that moment, those really creepy eyes were gazing predatorily at the Bebop.

Aero had caught them. He glanced at the rest of his crew and ordered:

"let's go get our boy back."

XXXXXX

Everyone on Bebop felt the impact, but only Vicious knew what it meant. He sat back on the couch and got comfortable. He did this because he knew that in a couple of seconds the ship would be full of some sort of sedative; and because he had helped Aero stock the stuff only a week before, he knew there was a 40 chance todays drug of choice would _not_ be something he had built up a tolerance to. On that possibility he wanted to be comfortable when he got knocked out… again.

However, luck was on his side and it only made him feel a little groggy,

He relaxed as the crew of the Bebop collapsed, but he didn't have to wait long before Captain Aero strode into the room, his usual smirk in place

"Hey V, did you miss me?"

* * *

AN: i actually hadn't planned on an evil cliffhanger for this chapter. I just ran out of time and wanted to get this posted before I went to work. I will try to have more soon 


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